Ryder Goes Home
by CartoonFiction56
Summary: After the Paw Patrol's most extreme rescue ever goes wrong, Ryder's mother comes to take him with her. But all is not as it seems. (The action really picks up from Chapter 11 onward, but I recommend reading the entire story. Oh, and there are a few OCs.)
1. Chapter 1

It was a normal day for Ryder and the Paw Patrol. The team had just finished helping Farmer Yumi with her chores and where now relaxing in the warm summer sun. "How could this day get any better?" Ryder thought, before being interrupted by his pup pad.

Mayor Goodway's icon popped up. Ryder, expecting another Mayor Goodway fetch quest, was surprised when he saw her standing in front of a burning building, looking very worried. "Ryder! Mr. Porter's restaurant is on fire! We need you no-" Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a very worried looking Mr. Porter. "Mayor! Have you seen Alex anywhere?!" "No." The Mayor responded. Mr. Porter grabbed the Mayor's phone. "Ryder! Alex is still in the building!" He screamed, before fainting. "Get here now!" The Mayor said, and the pup pad went blank.

"Pups! We need to go!" Ryder jumped on his ATV, and the pups got in their vehicles. "Ryder, what's wrong?" Rocky asked as they started driving. "Pups, Mr. Porter's Restaurant is on fire, and Alex could still be inside." The pups all gasped. "We don't have time to get to the Lookout. Marshall, when we get there, I need you to use your water cannon and truck to put the fire out." "I'm fired up!" "Skye, I need you to put the fire out from above." "Let's take to the sky!" "Rubble, Rocky, and Zuma, do whatever you can to help them. Chase, I need you to come with me into the building to find Alex. Everybody got it?" They all offered their acknowledgment. "Good." He swiped at his pup pad and selected the blue icon. "Ryder? What is it?" Everest asked. She had obviously been napping. "There is a fire at Mr. Porter's place. We need you to help." "What?! On it, Ryder."

When they got there, the fire was bad and getting worse. Ryder approached the Mayor. "Have you found Alex yet?" "No!" "Don't worry, we'll find him." "Hurry, Ryder!" the Mayor said as he ran off. Ryder put a fire proof suit on and went toward the building. "Chase, c'mon!" "Coming, Sir!" They went inside.

"Alex? Alex?!" Ryder and Chase called as they descended into the flaming building. "I think I smell something!" Chase yelled. He ran off. Ryder followed. Sure enough, Chase led them directly to Alex. "Ryder! Chase! I was so scared!" he said when he spotted them. "Don't worry, we'll all get out safely." Ryder picked him up and started running towards the exit.

"Ryder, I see light!" Chase yelled. They were approaching the exit. But then, a flaming wooden beam fell right on Ryder.

He threw Alex as he fell. "Ryder!" Chase called. "I'll be fine! Just get Alex out!" So Chase led Alex out of the building. Ryder was feeling the worst pain he had felt in his life as he struggled to move the beam. Then, he realized that his mask had fallen off. His vision began to blur as smoke filled his lungs.

By now, the entire town had gathered outside the building. Everyone was relieved when they saw Chase and Alex emerge from the smoke. But Marshall knew something was wrong. "Chase! Where is Ryder?" he asked. "Ryder *cough* is stuck under *cough* a beam." "What?!" Marshall jumped down from his truck. "Rubble, use my truck's water cannon!" Marshall yelled as he and Chase went back inside.

They had little trouble finding him. "Ryder!" Marshall yelled. There was no response. "Ryder?!" Chase and Marshall found Ryder, unconscious, lying under the beam. "Marshall, push on three!" Chase ordered. "One. Two. Three!" They managed to get the beam off of him. "Help me drag him out." They brought him outside to Marshall's fire truck.

Marshall put on his medical pup pack. After quickly telling Zuma how to give Alex oxygen, Marshall turned his attention to Ryder. "He is still alive." He said to no one in particular. He turned to Chase. "I can't do anything for him here. He needs to get to a hospital." "But, the nearest hospital is 20 minutes away!" Chase answered. "I know…" Marshall looked to the ground for answers. Just then, Foggy Bottom's fire department arrived. "Too bad they don't have an ambulance." Thought Marshall. "We'll have to make the best of it." Marshall said as he converted his fire truck into an ambulance. "Chase, can you drive?" "Of course." Chase climbed into the driver's seat, while Marshall got into the back with Ryder. "All I have to do is keep him alive for 20 minutes" he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chase pulled the ambulance past the crowd of people and onto the street. On his way out, he noticed a lot of news cameras around. Was this a major story?

Marshall didn't know what to do. He hadn't been trained to treat something this major. Before he could figure anything out, Ryder's pup pad rang.

Marshall decided to answer. He saw that it was Zuma. "Zuma?" "Dude, what's up? You just left." "Oh, sorry." Marshall responded. "Ryder is in big trouble. We are heading to Greensburg Hospital." Greensburg was one of the biggest towns around Adventure Bay and had the nearest hospital. "Oh. That's terrible. Should we come?" "No, just stay there and help. It's what Ryder would want." Marshall looked sadly at the ground. "C'mon dude, you make it sound like he's gonna die. It'll be okay." With that, the screen went blank. Marshall wasn't so sure it would be okay.

The 20 minute ride seemed like 20 hours. Marshall tried everything he could to keep Ryder breathing. Then, finally, they arrived in front of Greensburg Hospital. Chase and Marshall raced Ryder inside. They went up to the front desk. Marshall spoke up. "Hello?" The secretary couldn't see anyone but a boy on a stretcher. Then she stood up. "Oh my goodness! Talking dogs! Wait, I think I've heard of you before. Hmm… What was the name…" "The Paw Patrol?" Chase offered. "Yes, that's it! What is wrong with this boy?" "Ryder got crushed by a beam and inhaled too much smoke!" Marshall told her. "Oh my. He needs to get to the emergency room." The secretary called some nurses over. "Yes, he has lung poisoning and possible external injuries." She explained. They started to rush him away, but Marshall stopped them. "Can we come with?" The nurse thought for a moment. "Umm…. Fine. Just stay out of the way." The nurses went into a doorway and the pups followed.

"I'm sorry, this is where you two have to stay." A nurse said as they approached another set of doors. The pups obeyed.

One hour later, the rest of the pups arrived. "How long has he been in there?" Rubble asked. "About an hour." Chase answered. "Is he okay?" asked Everest. "We don't know yet."

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a doctor emerged from the doors. The pups almost tackled him as they asked questions. "Hey now, don't get too jumpy" The doctor said. "Is he okay?" Marshalled asked. He had been silent since the nurses took Ryder in the doors. "Well, we don't know yet. He is alive, if that's what you're asking." He saw how worried they all were. "You pups may want to go home. We'll call you if something happens." "But-" "There is no use staying here tonight. He'll be safe." So the pups went back to Adventure Bay.

None of them got much sleep. At 6:00 in the morning, Chase was up and pacing in the Lookout. Then, he got the call he had been waiting for.

At first, Marshall didn't give a second though when he heard "Paw Patrol, to the lookout!" for the millionth time. But then he realized that it was Chase's, not Ryder's, voice. They all went up, all the same.

"What is it, Chase?" Skye asked when they were all assembled. "Big news, guys. Ryder is awake."

**Thanks for the support! More coming soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

The pups got to the hospital in 15, not 20, minutes. This secretary was different from the one they met the day before. "Hello, we'd like to see Ryder." The secretary stood up and saw the pack of talking dogs. Except she, unlike the other one, hadn't heard of the Paw Patrol.

After fighting the urge to faint, she tried to force the pups out the front door. Luckily, most of the people there did know the Paw Patrol, since the pups occasionally did rescues in Greensburg. (And they were pretty famous.) So, after getting over the shock of the talking animals in her waiting room, the secretary did her job.

"You said Ryder, correct?" "Yes ma'am." Responded Chase. "Okay, Ryder who?" The pups looked at each other, puzzled. They had no idea what Ryder's last name was. "Um, you don't know his last name? I guess I can try searching based on first name." She tried this. She got nothing. "Are you sure Ryder is his real name? Does he have a full name? Is Ryder his nickname?"

Before the pups could give their assorted non-helpful answers that would only make the situation worse, Ryder's doctor walked by. "Ah, pups. Here to see Ryder?" "YES!" They all answered. "Come with me." He looked at the secretary. "They're with me, Mary."

The doctor led them to Ryder's room. "Did he just wake up?" asked Rocky. "No," the doctor responded, "he actually woke up at 4 o'clock, but we didn't want to disturb you. He did sleep from 5 until about half an hour ago." "Excuse me, but what is your name?" Rubble asked. "Oh, didn't I tell you?" "I don't think so." "Well, I'm Dr. Harrison." "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Harrison."

"Okay, he is still recovering, so don't get him too hyper." The doctor let them in. "Ryder!" The pups all screamed as they ran in. A nurse had to stop them from jumping onto him. "Pups!" Ryder said weakly. The pups embraced him.

Ryder quickly asked the burning questions he had since he woke up. "Did you get Alex out? Is he okay?" "Yes, sir!" Chase responded. "What about the building?" Marshall answered this one. "Well, the building is pretty much destroyed. It was a big fire." "Well, the important thing is that everyone is safe." "Even you." "Yes, even me." They hugged again.

"Well," said Ryder, "the Paw Patrol can't stop serving Adventure Bay just because I'm gone. But the Paw Patrol can't work without a leader." "What are we going to do?" asked Skye. "Chase, come here." Chase obeyed. "What is it, sir?" "Chase, you have shown outstanding leadership and smarts during your time with the Paw Patrol, and it is because of these qualities that I name you official leader of the Paw Patrol in my absence." Chase was stunned. "Really, sir? I'm the leader of the Paw Patrol?" "For about the next week." "Yippee!" Chase jumped around the room. This was his dream come true. And even if it was only for a few days, he would make the most of it.

Dr. Harrison came into the room. "Alright pups, you should let Ryder get some more rest." Ryder gave Chase his pup pad, the key to his ATV, and a special collar. (In reality, it was just Chase's collar but with a regular Paw Patrol logo. But it was very special to Chase.) "Goodbye, pups." Ryder waved as they left. "Goodbye, Ryder!" This trip had refreshed the pups. They were now determined to help with the cleanup and serve Adventure Bay even better than they did without Ryder. They had no idea how much of a challenge that would be.

That night, after all the other pups had already gone to bed, Chase went and sat in the moonlight. The full moon was beautiful. "Can't sleep?" Chase quickly turned around. It was Skye. "Yeah, I'm too worried about Ryder and too excited about being leader." "Sure you're not nervous?" Chase smiled. And they sat in the moonlight for another half an hour, just enjoying the other's presence, and then they went to bed.

**Finally, some of that romance I promised. It isn't much, just a taste. Again, thanks for the support! Chapter 4 coming soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Chase woke up to his first mission as leader. "Why would someone call so early?" Chase thought. It was Mayor Goodway. Of course. "Hello, Chase here." "Oh, Chase. I almost forgot Ryder was in the hospital. Anyway, I'm moving my office to a new room and was wondering if the Paw Patrol could help?" Chase hesitated a moment. "Uh… Sure, Mayor." "Thank you! You pups are so helpful!" And the Mayor disappeared off the screen. _Why does Ryder put up with this stuff? _Chase thought_. We have much more important things to do than move an office! The Mayor is so clueless! Doesn't she think helping Mr. Porter with the cleanup is a little bit more important? Maybe the Paw Patrol should change their catchphrase to "No job is too small!" _

_Well, I can't stay mad forever. Ryder accepts every rescue request he gets, and I will do the same_. Chase called the pups. He assigned their jobs. They went on their way. Everything seemed to be going well.

When the pups arrived at City Hall, they saw two men moving a large new desk into the building. Chase approached the Mayor. "Hello, Mayor, what can we help with?" "Well, let's see. I need that desk moved into place, I need my office decorations packed up and moved, and I need the old and new office cleaned out." "And what will you be doing?" asked Chase in return. "Oh, I have to run some mayoral errands. I should be back around 3:30_." Boy, this is even worse than I thought_, thought Chase, _First, she calls them to move her office when there are obviously more important things to be doing, and when they get there she just gives them a list of things to do and goes on "mayoral errands"? Unbelievable! I'm beginning to wonder if Ryder really would have accepted this rescue._

The mayor didn't return from her "mayoral errands" until 4:12 in the afternoon. And, yes, Chase counted every second of it. The pups had done everything she had asked. Chase was about to ask if they were done with this task when the Mayor spoke. "Wow, this looks beautiful! Hey, do you pups think you could clean out some other rooms, too?" This got Chase angry. "Well, actually Mayor-" He was cut off again by the Mayor. "Great, thank you pups!" "No problem, Mayor." Chase said through gritted teeth.

The pups cleaned up everything she asked. Chase thought they were done, when the mayor asked the pups to do one more thing. "Could you guys wash my dishes?" _DISHES?! _Chase thought,_ She wants us to clean her dishes?! After everything we have done for her? What is wrong with that woman?! _

When Chase came out of his fury, the damage had already been done. A single table, laying on the ground, in a pile of broken bits of glass. "Chase! Why did you do that?" The Mayor asked. Chase couldn't hold back any longer. "Mayor, we had plans today. We were going to help Mr. Porter clean up the remains of his restaurant. But then you called, as if nothing happened two days ago, and asked us to come here. I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought it was what Ryder would have done."

"But it turned out to be a huge mistake. You have abused our helpfulness, you have gone too far. What kind of person tells other people to do her errands and then leaves? The Paw Patrol is not meant for this, we are supposed to be doing real rescues, in real emergencies!"

Now the Mayor was angry. "Chase, I didn't just _leave. _I had real errands to do." "Like what, Mayor, like what?" "I had a meeting in Greensburg. It went over the time limit." "That doesn't change the fact that you abused us, Mayor. You deliberately ab-" "Now, hold on just a second, Chase! When I invited the Paw Patrol into Adventure Bay, there was no agreement on what their tasks would be."

"Mayor, you're missing the point! You abused us when we could have done something good for the town! Isn't that what mayors should want?" "It's the only thing I want, Chase! I had no idea that you had plans today! You didn't have to come!" Chase was growling now. "Maybe we shouldn't have come."

"You know what, Chase, why don't you just take your team of pups and leave. Get out of my sight. You were obviously never fit for this job." "What did you say?" "I said, 'You were never fit for this job.'".

This brought Chase into another rage. _How could she say that?! I was always the best for the job! I've wanted it my entire life! That… that… Well, I don't know what she is, but it isn't good!_

Again, when Chase regained his senses, the damage had already been done. He was on top of the mayor, growling in her face. She had a very strange look. One of fear, pain, and anger. "Chase, what are you doing?!" Marshall exclaimed. The pups pulled Chase away. He looked at the Mayor, who was now getting up.

"Oh, Mayor, I don't- I wouldn't-" "Just leave, Chase." The Mayor barely said the words, but to Chase, they were the loudest words he had ever heard.

But there was nothing he could do now. The pups went back to the Lookout, none of them saying a word. Chase felt terrible.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that day, Skye was walking around when she heard something from Chase's pup house. "Chase, are you… crying?" Chase quickly turned around. "What?" He said nervously. "Of course not!"

But Chase had been crying. He had blew it. His one opportunity, gone. He had damaged his relationships and his reputation. After an outburst like this, there was no way Ryder would let him be leader.

Skye moved in closer. "Okay. Is there something wrong, then? I know I heard something coming from you pup house." "No, Skye, everything… everything… is- TERRIBLE!" To Skye's surprise, Chase turned and started sobbing into her shoulder. "I blew it! I hurt the Mayor and failed a mission! I proved I can't take the pressure of leadership. There is no way Ryder lets me continue as leader."

Skye looked into his eyes. "Chase, don't be ridiculous. You've always been a great leader. Every pup here adores you, looks up to you. That's why Ryder chose you for the job. And he has enough faith in you to allow you to continue doing that job. And the Mayor will forgive you. I promise." "You promise?" I'll make sure of it."

Skye left a little later. While her words had helped, Chase was still certain that Ryder would revoke his leadership as soon as he got the chance. He might even kick Chase out of the Paw Patrol. Chase was exhausted, though. He let it wait until morning as he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up to Rubble's voice. "Chase, you have a call in the Lookout." "Okay", Chase yawned. Before going up the elevator, he saw that Hello, Adventure Bay! was on. He saw the headline "Mayor Goodway injured, to release a statement at noon."

_Oh, boy, _Chase thought, _what have I gotten myself into? When she releases that statement, everyone within 100 miles of here will know what I did._

Chase arrived at the top of the Lookout. He put the call he was receiving on the pup pad (it was from Ryder, of course) onto the big screen. "Hello, Chase." Ryder said from his hospital bed. "Hello, Ryder sir." "Chase, I asked the other pups to tell me about what you guys did today." _Oh,no, here it comes, _Chase thought. "They told me that you helped Mayor Goodway, and that it went pretty well."

Chase waited for a few seconds. "Is that _all _they told you?" "Yes. Was there anything else?" "Uh, no, sir. Nothing at all." _Why did I do that? _He asked himself. _Now the punishment will just be worse when the statement comes out._

"It seems like you're doing pretty well, then. Keep it up!" "Uh, yes, Ryder sir! Of course!" Ryder smiled and disappeared from the screen. _Why didn't the other pups tell him? _Chase thought. _Why didn't I tell him? What if they did tell him? What if this was a test? Oh, no._

He went back down, right to the other pups, who were now playing Pup Pup Boogie 2. "Guys, why didn't you tell Ryder?" "We didn't want you to get in trouble" Zuma answered. "But it will just make it worse when the Mayor tells everyone what happened!" "Maybe she won't." Said Marshall. But in his mind, Chase knew the Mayor would tell. How could she not?

Chase spent the next few hours sitting in his bed, thinking deeply. He was scared. Scared as he had ever been. He could lose his dream job for one small mistake. His dream job wasn't even being leader. It was being a member of the Paw Patrol. That was all he wanted now. He didn't care if he was grounded for a month. He just wanted to stay on the team.

Finally, 12:00 came. Chase dragged himself inside. There was no doubt Ryder was watching this. After a few minutes of waiting, a breaking news alert came onto the screen. "This just in, Adventure Bay mayor Goodway has released a statement concerning her injury. Quote: "I would like to address the residents of the greater Adventure Bay area about my recent injury. First, I would like to announce that the injury is a broken arm, and I will be out of Adventure Bay for a few days. I will continue my mayoral duties as soon as I return. Next, I would like to announce how I got my injury. I was rearranging my office, with the help of the Paw Patrol," _Here it comes. _Chase cringed. "when I lost my grip on a heavy table and fell onto the floor, breaking my arm. Thank you for the good wishes, Adventure Bay, I will return soon."

Chase was puzzled. Why would the mayor do this? He didn't deserve to be let off the hook. He was almost sad that she didn't tell. Now he had to carry a dirty secret around inside of him, or tell Ryder himself. Neither option seemed appealing.

**Since I feel you guys deserve it, I'm giving you two chapters in one day. Enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chase woke up the next day to another call. It was the hospital, and they told him that Ryder would probably be ready to leave that Saturday. The fire had been on Sunday. It was now Thursday.

Chase just wanted it to be over. He wanted Ryder to come back and be leader again so Chase could just be Chase and forget about what happened. But he still had two full days on the job. Maybe nothing would happen. Chase doubted it.

Chase woke up later than the other pups. He had had a rough night. When he got inside the Lookout, everyone was there, even Everest. They were having a Pup Pup Boogie tournament. Chase would have loved to join in, on any other day. But he was too emotionally and physically tired. So he just sat and watched.

(And now, finally, we leave Chase's point of view.)

Marshall tried to look like he was watching the tournament, but he couldn't stop thinking about Everest. It had been this way ever since she joined the team. He loved it when she hung out with the pups.

It was Marshall's turn. He was against Rocky. Skye started them off with a perky "Go!"

It started out good enough. Then, of course, came the tailspin. _Just hold it this once, _he thought,_ Everest is here. _

He was actually doing it at first. But then he lost his balance, as always. Marshall spun right into Rocky, who was also spinning, and they both ran right into Everest.

It was hard to untangle the knot they were in, but they did it. "Sorry, guys." Marshall apologized. "It's okay." Said Everest. "Yeah, it was kinda fun." Rocky chimed in. "Can we take a break now?" Rubble asked. "Watching you guys dance is making me tired." They chuckled and went outside.

(Rocky POV)

Rocky couldn't stop thinking about Everest. He had pretended like he didn't care, but his heart always jumped when she came over. For some reason, though, Rocky couldn't tell anyone. He thought he had her to himself, if she wanted him, because no other pup on the team seemed to have any interest. If they did, they didn't show it. Then again, Rocky didn't show it either.

Either way, Rocky decided it couldn't wait any longer. He would tell her tonight. Unbeknownst to him, Marshall had just decided the same thing.

(No POV)

Just when it seemed the Paw Patrol could have a peaceful day, there was an emergency. An avalanche had trapped skiers and snowboarders, notably Jake, at the Adventure Bay Ski Resort. (My name for Jake's mountain resort) So the pups set out. Chase hoped it would be better than the last emergency.

When the Paw Patrol arrived, they found it was worse than it sounded. There was not only an avalanche emergency, but a snow storm had knocked out power in the actual resort. So Chase sent Rocky to fix it and went with the rest of the pups to help the victims of the avalanche.

It wasn't easy to find them in the storm. When they did, they saw it was almost impossible to get to the snowboarders. Chase decided to go along with Marshall to find a route themselves.

(Chase and Marshall POV)

Chase and Marshall decided to go around, not over, the snow pile trapping the people on the mountain. They didn't want to send it rolling down the hill again. But the snow mountain was longer than they thought. Soon, the two pups were lost in the pine forest.

"Are we lost?" Marshall asked. "I, I mean, I don't think so." But Chase did think so. Even though they had been following a giant snow pile, they had somehow lost the trail. And things were about to get worse.

The pups heard a rumbling up the mountain. "Another avalanche!" Chase yelled. "Find cover!"

The second avalanche was upon them before they knew it. Chase found a cave. "C'mon, Marshall!"

Marshall tried. But before he could reach the cave, he was swallowed up by the snow flow.


	7. Chapter 7

The avalanche passed. But, when Chase went to find Marshall, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Marshall!" Chase called out, "MARSHALL!" He got no response.

Now, Chase was starting to panic. What would he do? He decided to go down the mountain.

About halfway down, Chase remembered the trapped people. He called Rubble and Everest and told them to get them out.

Chase continued to call out for Marshall, but the storm was drowning out his cries. Finally, he thought he heard a very faint "Chase!"

Chase went in the general direction of the sound. He heard it again, this time louder. It was definitely Marshall. Chase kept heading in that same direction, but after two or three more shouts, Marshall stopped talking.

Chase started running towards the place where he thought he heard the shouts. He came into a clearing in the forest, obviously plowed over by the avalanche. Looking around, Chase finally spotted Marshall.

He was lying on the ground, not moving. Chase ran over to him. "Marshall. Marshall, wake up! C'mon!" Chase could see that Marshall was still breathing, but only barely. He had been beaten up pretty bad by the tumble he took down the mountain.

What would he do? The mountain was too steep for a vehicle, the storm was too strong for an airlift. Chase had a little medical training, but he was in no way prepared enough to fix Marshall.

Then, Chase saw a snowboard laying on the ground and got an idea. He could slide himself and Marshall down the mountain.

Chase got the snowboard and strapped Marshall on. It looked like a bumpy ride to the bottom.

Stepping on the snowboard, Chase hesitated for a moment. _This is a stupid idea. I can never get us both down the mountain. But I guess I don't have a coice._

"Now or never" Chase spoke out loud. He pushed off and the snowboard immediately started speeding down the slope.

Chase had snowboarded before, but he didn't do it often and he had never done it with a passenger. The snowboard kept speeding up, but the storm had re-intensified and Chase could barely see three feet ahead of him. Dodging obstacles was getting harder and harder.

Chase was going so fast he couldn't believe it. And somehow, he hadn't hit anything yet. _How tall is this mountain?! _He thought.

Finally, Chase sensed the ground becoming flatter. He was now sliding on horizontal land. But he was still sliding.

Chase didn't know how to stop. Soon, the snow wouldn't be deep enough for the snowboard. There was only one thing to do.

Chase literally put his foot down. Feet, actually. With two paws hanging onto the board and two digging into the ground, the snowboard finally started slowing down. It seemed like forever to Chase, whose paws where now hurting bad, but the snowboard eventually came to a stop.

He called for a pup, any pup, to pick them up. It turned out to be Rocky.

The pups got Marshall to Katie's, who got him to a larger pet hospital in nearby Port Town. Rocky gave Chase the rundown on how the rescue turned out. "I was able to fix the power, and the rest of the pups dug a tunnel to get the snowboarders out. The storm died down, and there were no more avalanches. Everyone is fine."

The Paw Patrol returned to the Lookout one member shorter, two gone in all counting Ryder. Not until Chase lied down for bed did he realize something amazing.

_I just had my first successful rescue._

And with a smile on all their faces, the pups went to sleep.

**Still many more chapters to go. I hope you guys have liked it to this point.**


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, Mayor Goodway came back to Adventure Bay. Chase knew he had to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he just waited outside of city hall for 30 minutes.

Eventually, Chase gathered up the courage to go inside. He went right to the Mayor's office. Opening the door, Chase spoke. "Uh, hello Mayor."

"Hello Chase." For a few long moments, Chase and the Mayor just sat there in really awkward silence. Finally, Chase broke the silence. "So, Mayor. Are you still mad at me?"

The Mayor looked up from her work. "Am I still angry? Chase, you broke my grandmother's old vase and my arm. Of course I'm still mad!"

"So, why didn't you tell the truth, then? Why didn't you just bust me and have Ryder kick me out of the Paw Patrol?"

The Mayor sighed. "I don't know, Chase. Maybe it was because a part of me knew you were right, about me calling for the Paw Patrol too often. Maybe it was because I know that you're great at your job and would usually never hurt a fly. But… I don't know."

Again, they sat in silence. After deciding there was nothing left to say but sorry, Chase apologized and let himself out. He didn't know what to think. Had the Mayor forgiven him? Why did she decide not to tell? Would he tell Ryder? He just didn't know.

(Rocky's POV)

Later that day, the pups went to see Marshall. When they arrived, Rocky realized how stupid he was. In all the chaos of the night before, he had forgotten to tell Everest how he really felt. _No harm done, I suppose. I'll just tell her tonight. _Rocky thought to himself.

The pups went to Marshall's room. As soon as they got there, they huddled around his bed, asking questions, saying how glad they were that he was okay, and so on. Rocky noticed that Everest was doing this more than the others. He took little note of it, though.

The pups stayed there for the whole day. There were no emergencies for once. They just stayed with Marshall and relaxed. When night came, and a nurse told the pups they should go, they decided to get a hotel room instead of going all the way back to Adventure Bay.

After hearing that Everest wanted to stay a little longer, Rocky did the same. This was his opportunity.

He went to find the snow pup. He followed her voice right to Marshall's room. He stopped outside the doorway and listened.

"I'm just so happy you're okay." Everest said to Marshall. "Yeah, you've been saying that all day." Marshall responded. Rocky peeked around the corner. Everest and Marshall just stared at each other.

Then, Marshall spoke. "Everest, I, I really like you." "I do too." She said back. "No, I mean like, _really _like." "I do too."

Rocky didn't see what happened next. He was already gone. He ran outside and kicked his truck. "Stupid!" He yelled, after making sure no one was around. "Why didn't I tell her sooner?! Now she likes Marshall. How- how could this happen? She was mine."

Rocky just stood there, with his head against his truck, for a few minutes. Eventually, Everest came outside. "Hey, Rocky." "Hey." He said back, without enthusiasm. With that, he got in his truck and drove to the hotel, not looking back.

He didn't want to think about the snow pup that was surely following him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Dang, time goes fast. Sorry I've forgotten about Chase and Skye, I'll try to balance it out more.**

The pups left the hotel first thing in the morning. Marshall wasn't the only decommissioned Paw Patrol member, and the other one was coming back to the lookout today.

Since Ryder had no other way to get home, the pups had to go and pick him up. So they did.

Rubble and Zuma went to the hospital with Marshall's ambulance to bring Ryder back, while the rest of the pups (minus Marshall, of course) set up Ryder's welcome home party.

When Ryder walked in the doors, almost everyone he knew was there. It was a full-fledged party. There was food, drinks, and fun. When the party was over, the pups presented Ryder with their own welcome home gift: a Paw Patrol necklace. He loved it.

They were able to video chat with Marshall before bed. Before putting the long day behind them, though, Skye and Chase had a chat.

"I'm glad it's over." Chase said. "Why? I thought this was your dream." Skye responded. "It was, and it still is, but the past week has been… dramatic. It was too much pressure. I'm not ready." "Have you told Ryder about what happened with Mayor Goodway?" Skye asked. "No, but I have apologized to the Mayor." Chase replied. "Are you going to tell Ryder?" "Why should I? He doesn't need to know. The past is the past, and the Mayor seems to be content with pretending it never happened." Skye looked him in the eyes. "Are you?"

Just then, Rocky walked by. "Goodnight, Rocky!" Skye said as he slowly dragged himself along. "Goodnight, Skye." He sighed. "Is something wrong?" Chase asked. Rocky looked up at them. _Look at them, _he thought, _such a happy couple, even if they say they aren't one. They were meant for each other. There is no competition for Skye._

"No." Rocky said as he continued toward his pup house. "Has Rocky seemed… sadder to you lately?" Skye asked Chase. "Yeah, he's been that way since he came to the hotel last night. I wonder what happened." "Well, goodnight, Chase." "Goodnight, Skye." The pups went to bed.

The next morning, Ryder woke up to a call on his pup pad. Just before he could answer it, though, a different call came, this one an emergency. It was Captain Turbot. "Hello, Ryder here." "Ryder, there were some very strong winds last night and my boat got blown into the shore. I've been trying to contact you since then, but I couldn't get any signal." "Don't worry, Cap'n, the Paw Patrol can help! Paw Patrol, to the Lookout!"

All the pups looked up. "Ryder needs us!" They all got to the Lookout as fast as they could, like always. Things were back to normal. Well, except for the fact that Ryder was on crutches.

After explaining the situation, Ryder told the pups how things would work while he was still recovering. "Since I still can't go out on rescues with you, I'll have to run the rescue from here. All of you have a camera on your hats or helmets. I'll watch the mission through those from here and give orders when they are needed. But, without any more waiting, Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

The pups went to the shoreline where Captain Turbot had wrecked his boat. The rescue was actually fairly simple. All it took was a few repairs and a push out to sea. This was by far not the most dramatic moment of the day. That would come later.

Rocky was laying down in his pup house. He wasn't in any mood to celebrate the successful rescue. He just couldn't stop thinking about his blown chance with Everest. But then, something snapped.

_Why should I just sit around here and mope? _Rocky thought. _Sure, they confessed their attraction for each other, but that doesn't always mean something. Why can't I still get her? This isn't over yet, Marshall._

So Rocky went to the pet hospital, where he knew both Marshall and Everest were, determined to get her "back".

Ryder was sitting in the Lookout, playing on his pup pad, when a call came through. It was an icon he hadn't seen in a long time. It was his mother.

"Hello, Zack." Zack was Ryder's first name. His mom was the only person who called him that. Of course, no one else really knew.

"Uh, hi, Mom. Why are you calling?" Ryder was very nervous. His mom barely ever called, and when she did, it was never good. Ryder didn't have a very good relationship with his mom. Sure, she was rich (and the one who funded the Paw Patrol), but she rarely used that money on Ryder. She only spent it on her ever-changing boyfriends.

"Well, I heard about your accident, and I wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"Really? That accident was almost a week ago."

"Well, that's not the only reason I'm calling. I have big news, Zack! Me and Jim (her latest boyfriend) are going on a cruise, and we want you to come with us!"

"What? What about the Paw Patrol? How long will we be gone?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because regardless of how long the cruise is, you are never going back to Adventure Bay."

**I saw that Ryder's full name is Zack Ryder Jr. on the Paw Patrol Wiki. There were no sources, so I have no idea if this is correct or not. But this is my story, and in this story, his first name is Zack. More soon. (Hopefully)**


	10. Chapter 10

"What?! Why?!" Ryder screamed into the phone. He didn't care.

"Zack, calm down. I am doing this for your safety. I can't stand to see you get hurt anymore."

"But this is the first time I've _ever _got hurt on the job. It won't happen again."

"You don't know that, Zack. And there is another reason. Over the past week, I've realized how much I have neglected you over your life. I want to repair our relationship."

_How do you repair something that never existed? _Ryder thought.

"But I don't want to leave, Mom. We can bond over the phone."

She sighed. "Zack, this decision wasn't easy to make, but now that it's made, it is final. No arguing!"

And she hung up.

(Rocky's POV)

When Rocky walked into the hospital, he was very pleased to see Everest sitting in the waiting room. "Hey, Everest." He said. "Oh, hi Rocky!" She said, as perky as ever. Perkier, even.

"Why are you out here?" Rocky asked. "The doctors said I should let Marshall get some rest." She responded. "Oh." "Why are you here, Rocky?"

Rocky tried to look shocked. "Can't a pup visit his friend in the hospital?" "Well, yeah. I don't know why I asked."

"Well, I guess I'll just wait with you, then." Rocky said as he laid down next to her. "Are you sure? They said he should be resting for a while."

"That's okay." Rocky smiled. It was better than okay.

(Ryder's POV)

After the call, Ryder just stared at the wall. He couldn't believe what was happening. Finally, after what he confirmed to be 20 minutes by looking at the clock, the full weight of the situation started to sink in.

_I will have to leave Adventure Bay. _He thought. _I will have to leave the Paw Patrol. I will have to leave Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Rocky, Skye, Zuma, Everest, the Mayor, Cap'n Turbot, Jake, and Katie. And there is nothing I can do about it._

As these thoughts raced through Ryder's head, he started to cry. _How could she do this?_

(Rocky's POV)

Rocky had a plan. Everest didn't know that he knew that Marshall had confessed his attraction for her. Rocky would simply do the same thing, forcing her to decide. Then all he had to do was make himself the more likable of the two.

In hindsight, it was a terrible plan. But at the time, it was brilliant.

After about 10 minutes of small talk, Rocky changed the subject.

"Everest, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Rocky?"

"Everest, I… I really like you. Like really like. Not just friend like."

A look of obvious discomfort spread over Everest's face.

"Oh… well… that's, that's, um, that is… ummm…"

"That is what, Everest?"

"Rocky, I like you too."

_Why would I say that? _Everest thought. _Now I have two boys chasing after me._

"Really! That's…. wow." Rocky couldn't believe it actually worked. Now he just had to get Marshall out of the picture…

Suddenly, they heard Ryder's voice. "Pups, to the Lookout." He sounded miserable. Every pup could tell something was terribly, terribly wrong.

(No POV)

The pups went to the Lookout, with Rocky and Everest listening while driving back to Adventure Bay. Marshall also listened in.

"Pups, I have very, very bad news."

"What is it Ryder?" They all said.

"Well… I'm going to be leaving Adventure Bay. And I won't be coming back."

All the air was sucked out of the room. Rubble and Everest drove off the road. The pups just stared, unable to speak.

Finally, Rubble spoke up. Well, more specifically, he panicked. "WHAAAAATTTTT?! YOU'RE GOING AWAY FOREVER? AND NOT COMING BACK? Oh my gosh… oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh….."

Ryder stroked his fur. "Calm down, Rubble. It will be okay."

"You're really leaving?" Chase asked, not without emotion.

"Yes."

"Why? What will happen to us? To the Paw Patrol? Will we ever see you again?"

"Slow down, Chase. I'm leaving because my mother says I am. We'll leave it at that. I don't know what will happen to you or the Paw Patrol. We'll just have to wait and see."


	11. Chapter 11

It didn't take long for word to spread. Soon, all of Adventure Bay had heard of Ryder's pending departure.

One day before it was time to leave, Ryder still wasn't sure about the Paw Patrol's future. He was still holding onto the hope that his mother would change her mind, but he saw it as unlikely. Either way, he needed to secure the future of the Paw Patrol. Or, at the very least, the future of the pups.

So here he was, in a meeting with the Mayor.

"So, Ryder," she said, "I can guess why you're here."

"Yes, Mayor Goodway. I need to know if the city can keep funding the Paw Patrol after I'm gone."

"I don't know how we can keep doing it when we never did it in the first place, Ryder. You know your mother is the one who funds the Paw Patrol."

"Yeah, I know, but can the city keep funding the patrol if my mom stops funding it? Because that is a real possibility."

"Oh…. I don't think so, Ryder. The city budget is already crunched."

_Oh no_. Ryder thought.

"Okay, Mayor, thanks."

The Mayor looked at him sadly. "No problem."

Ryder went back to the Lookout. He really doubted that his mom would keep funding the Paw Patrol without him there. The least he could do was chose a new leader.

He already knew who it would be. It was actually pretty easy to choose. Mayor Goodway had a kind heart, but she was in no way fit to lead the Paw Patrol. Especially when half of their emergencies came from her. Captain Turbot was, well, Captain Turbot. Mr. Porter was too old. Farmer Yumi wouldn't do it.

That left three candidates: Katie, Chase, and Jake.

Ryder respected Chase's leadership skills, but he knew that it would be too much for Chase to lead the team and do his job well.

He also thought Katie was completely capable, but he didn't want to put her in danger like he had been.

That left Jake. He was young, good with dogs, and friendly in general. He did have his resort, but that could be worked around.

So Ryder gave Jake a call, and he immediately accepted. It was bittersweet, at best.

*The next day*

Ten o'clock. That was when he was leaving.

Ryder took time to say goodbye to every pup.

"Goodbye, Chase." He said as he went down the line. "You've always been my right hand pup."

Chase looked at the ground. "Yeah, Ryder sir." He tried to smile when he looked up, but it looked more like he was about to cry. Which wasn't far from the truth.

Ryder gave him a hug.

"Marshall, you always know how to brighten someone's day. Keep smiling."

He tried.

"Rubble, your energy never runs out. You keep everyone going."

"I don't feel very energized right now, Ryder."

Ryder gave a sad smile and a hug.

"Skye, your pep is overwhelming, but it's impossible to not feel it. Don't let it fade."

"I won't, Ryder."

"Zuma, you can make anyone seem warm even in the coldest winter. You're a mobile beach. Don't let it flood."

"Sure, Ryder."

"Everest, I haven't known you for very long, but you make me feel like we've been friends forever."

"Thanks, Ryder."

"And Rocky, you're handiness and friendliness keep the team from falling apart. Don't let it come undone now."

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Good."

Then his mother arrived. There was one last piece of business to take care of.

Ryder approached Jake. "Jake, I, Zack Ryder Jr., hereby transfer the role of Leader of the Paw Patrol to you. You now have full control over everything involving the team."

"Thanks, Ryder."

Ryder then went over to Katie.

"Well, goodbye Katie."

Then, to Ryder's surprise, Katie gave him a hug.

"Goodbye, Ryder."

"Are you coming, Ryder?" His mother asked.

Ryder said his remaining goodbyes and headed towards the waiting limousine. He got in, closed the door, and the vehicle drove off.

After a few minutes, Jake approached Katie.

"Katie, I have no idea why Ryder thought that I was the best person to lead the Paw Patrol. You are clearly the better choice. Do you want the job?'

"What? I don't know, Jake. I'm sure Ryder had a good reason."

"Come on, Katie. I can't run the Paw Patrol. I have a resort to run."

"Then why'd you accept?"

"I couldn't say no, Katie. So, do you want to lead the Paw Patrol?"

"Sure, Jake."

"Great! So, uh, what was it that Ryder did? Oh, yeah. Katie, I hereby give you the job of Paw Patrol leader. Or something."

"Thanks, Jake."

(Ryder's POV)

Ryder looked out the window at Adventure Bay as it disappeared beyond the hills. When the last building was out of sight, Ryder couldn't help but shed a tear.

His mother said nothing.

(Chase's POV, later that night)

Chase couldn't help crying. He had a feeling that there wasn't a soul in or around the Lookout that hadn't shed a tear. Eventually, Skye came over and sat next to him. She said nothing.

Chase openly sobbed. His dignity, his pride, it was all meaningless right now. He just felt alone. Abandoned.

Eventually, Chase let a single, long howl into the night sky. Skye soon did the same, with the rest of the pups joining in to. All night, they mourned the loss of their leader.


	12. Chapter 12

(Ryder's POV)

When Ryder woke up, he was not in the limo. He was not in a hotel. He was cold.

When he got his bearings, he looked around. The stone room was almost featureless, save for the lone door directly in front of him. How had he gotten here?

Ryder couldn't remember anything since… since just outside Adventure Bay, when he decided to take a nap to prepare for the long trip ahead. And now he was here. In this place. But what was it?

Nothing happened for almost 20 minutes, by Ryder's counting. (Yes, he occasionally counted the seconds.) But then, finally, the door in front of him slid open.

A pretty tall man walked in.

"Hello, Zack. I'm Jim."

Jim? The name was familiar. But this couldn't be his mother's new boyfriend, could it?

But when Ryder tried to speak, he realized that he had rope over his mouth.

"Ah, yes, I see that thoughtful look in your eyes, Ryder. You do go by that, don't you?"

Ryder didn't respond.

"Well, that's what I'm going to call you. Anyway, yes, I am your mothers 'boyfriend'."

Ryder yelled into the ropes. He had meant to ask what he had done with her.

"Don't worry, she's safe. So, I guess this is the part where the 'villain' of the story tells the 'hero' his entire master plan. Don't worry, I won't keep that essential story part from you.

First, I bet you're wondering why you're here. To answer that, I need to introduce myself first. I am Jim S. Ericson, primary chairman of Ericson Kitchen Appliances, Inc. This is only a front, of course. I am also chairman of the W.A.W.O., the Worldwide Agency for World Order. Our primary goal is in our name: to bring order and peace to the world. Now that that is taken care of, I can tell you what you have to do with all of this. Ryder, we want you in our agency. We admire your work with your Paw Patrol, and we thought a smart and athletic young man such as yourself would be the perfect addition. What say you?"

Ryder glared at him.

"Oh, yes. Sorry."

Jim took out a knife and cut Ryder loose.

"Please, follow me, Mr. Ryder."

Ryder didn't see any other choice.

"Let me show you around our complex."

Jim walked Ryder around, showing him agents at work and advanced machinery. It really was impressive.

Later, Jim stopped at a door.

"What's in there?" Ryder asked.

Jim laughed. "It's a bathroom. Need to go?"

Ryder shook his head.

"Then don't move. I'm trusting you."

Jim went in, and Ryder fully intended to stay in that spot. But then something caught his ear.

Ryder couldn't help but follow the strange noise. He followed it to an open door. He couldn't believe what he saw as he peeked inside.

It was a torture room. Ryder saw things not meant to be put on the internet.

Ryder jumped when Jim grabbed his shoulders.

"I told you not to go anywhere. I would've continued the tour, but I don't think that is such a good idea now."

"When were you going to tell me about this, Jim?!"

"I was going to show you this later. Much later. Like a few weeks after you joined us. Speaking of which, now might be a good time to decide. Will you join the W.A.W.O, Ryder?"

Ryder considered it. "I was thinking about it, even leaning towards it, but this changes everything. I'm sorry, Jim, the answer is no."

Jim seemed disappointed. "That's exactly what I guessed would happen."

"So, can I go now?" Ryder asked.

Jim smiled. "Not quite."

And Ryder blacked out.

(Paw Patrol POV)

The pups were all sitting in the Lookout, moping. It had been almost two days since Ryder left.

Katie sat with them. They had been doing this since he left. Just sitting around. She decided that she had had enough. She stood up.

"Pups, what do you say we try to get Ryder back?"

They all looked.

"Really?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, really?" Asked Zuma.

"Yes, really." Katie responded. "What if we could convince his mom to let him stay?"

"But they're already gone." Said Skye.

"But we could catch up, somehow. I know it. I'm new to this. Do you pups have any ideas?"

Immediately, Chase spoke. "The Paw Patroller! It's fast and it doesn't have to follow the speed limit! Don't ask."

"Alright then, we can go now!"

They all started running out to the Paw Patroller, until Rocky spoke. "Wait, guys. Do we even know where they went?"

"Oh. Yeah."

Marshall had an idea. "Doesn't Ryder's Paw Patrol jacket have a tracker in it?"

"Yeah!" Rubble said.

"How do we track him?" Katie asked.

Rocky brought it up on the screen. Everyone was surprised at what they saw.

"He's… on top of a mountain?" Katie asked.

"Actually, it looks like he's under it." Rocky said.

"What? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but either this is malfunctioning, or something is terribly wrong."

"Well, let's go then!" Everest said, already at the elevator.

They all loaded their vehicles into the Paw Patroller, and they went off.


	13. Chapter 13

Ryder woke up in a large feeling but mostly dark room. Directly in front of him was a strange machine he had never seen before. Even so, he felt like he knew what it was somehow.

"Hello, Ryder. Your decision earlier was very… unfortunate to hear. However, I'm giving you one more chance. And if you don't, we'll give this machine a whirl. What do you say? Will you join us?"

Ryder considered for a moment, but shook his head no. He couldn't join these people, not after what he had seen.

"That's what I thought. Well, maybe it was unfair. But I don't like unloyal agents. This machine should fix that. I thought a smart person like yourself would know what it is."

And as Jim turned on the machine, Ryder suddenly knew what the machine did.

But it was too late.

(Paw Patrol POV)

Katie and the pups made their way to the mountain in which Ryder was supposed to be. In truth, they had their doubts that he was actually under a mountain.

But as they got closer, they saw a very disturbing sight.

"Is that… a limousine?" Marshall said out loud.

"Oh no!" Skye exclaimed. "It's the one Ryder left in!"

The pups all gasped.

Katie had Robo-Dog pull over.

The pups all got out to investigate.

"What could've happened?" asked Everest.

"I don't have any idea." Replied Katie. "Maybe there was an accident. But then why would it be just neatly pulled to the side of the road?"

"Guys, over here!" Chase yelled.

They all ran over to Chase, where they saw something they didn't expect.

Ryder's mother was lying on the ground, unconscious. There was a man lying next to her.

"What the-" Rocky started to say, but then Ryder's mom stirred.

She sat up.

"Whe-Where am I? How did I get here? Where's Ryder?"

"Uh, don't worry ma'am, ever-" Chase started, but he was interrupted.

"Wait, you're the Paw Patrol! Did you do this? Did you need my son to lead you so badly that you stole him back?"

"Hey!" Zuma said. "That's not what happened at all!"

"Then who did this?"

Chase spoke. "We have no idea, ma'am. But we do have a lead.

They brought her and the man, who had woken up (he was the limo driver) into the Paw Patroller to explain the situation.

But Ryder's mom wasn't so convinced.

"UNDER A MOUNTAIN!? You really expect me to believe that? Where have you hidden him?!"

"We told you, we didn't do it!" Marshall said.

"Fine, I'll just find him myself!"

"Please don't." Katie said. "We all love Ryder, but we wouldn't knock you out just and kidnap him just to get him back. If you stay with us, we can find him. Please."

"Well… fine. But we're leaving at the first sniff of suspicion."

So they set off, getting closer to the mountain. Eventually, they pulled over.

"This is as close as we can get by the road." Said Katie. "Let's get out."

They all left the Paw Patroller and approached the mountain on foot. But they were stumped when they saw no cave entrances or holes in the ground.

"How could he get under a mountain if there's nothing under it?" Asked Ryder's mom.

"Wait," Skye said, "what's that up there?"

It was a cave. It was a bit high, but the group climbed up anyway. Anything to solve this mystery.

There didn't seem to be much in the cave. In fact, the cave seemed to slope up, not down.

But then Rubble discovered something.

"Guys, what's this?"

It was an air vent, randomly sitting in the ground.

"What the heck?" Rocky asked.

"We could go in it." Katie suggested.

After much consideration and debate, the pups decided that Chase and Marshall would go in. Why? Chase was stealthy, and while Marshall was clumsy, he and Chase had great chemistry.

So, with Rocky's help, they removed the grate and crawled in.

They crawled through the air ducts for a while, before they saw light.

Looking below them, Chase saw that the grate led to a broom closet of some sort.

Chase motioned to Marshall, and they went in. Super Spy Chase dropped down silently, but regular old Marshall couldn't help but land in a bucket, which knocked over a broom. Chase gave him a slightly hostile look.

Luckily, it didn't seem like anybody had heard. Chase slowly opened the door. He saw a hallway, but nobody was in it.

He led the way as the two pups moved down the hallway. They walked for a little bit, until they finally saw someone. There were two guards, dressed in black head to toe and talking to each other.

On Chase's signal, the pups silently moved past them. Ryder's signal was getting closer.

Finally, Chase and Marshall found a door. The signal was coming from inside.

Chase very slowly creaked open the door.

The room was small, almost as small as the broom closet they entered in. But in the center, a box laid, filled with Ryder's possessions. Including his jacket.

"You pups shouldn't medal in other people's business."

Before they could turn around, two guards grabbed them. As they were forced away, they saw a man in a suit smiling at them.

Eventually, they entered another hallway, just to see their worst fear realized. Five more guards were carrying Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Everest, and Skye and two were forcing Katie and Ryder's mother along with them. They were all led into a room.

They entered onto a platform, which was looking up at a higher platform. On it stood two figures.

One stepped forward. He was the same man Chase and Marshall had seen just a few minutes earlier.

"Hello and welcome, Paw Patrol, to the W.A.W.O. main complex. I am Jim S. Ericson, chairman of the W.A.C.O."

Ryder's mom started screaming at him, but her guard held his hand over her mouth.

Jim laughed. "Oh, Diane. I'll deal with you later."

"I've been observing the Paw Patrol for a while now, and I admire your work. Because of this, I brought your leader in and offered him the choice to join us, along with your fine team."

This caused Ryder's mom to scream again.

"However, it seems he isn't as selfless as you all thought. He accepted, but only on the terms that his annoying, inadequate team would be replaced by a much better one."

The pups couldn't believe it. In fact, they didn't believe it. And Jim could tell.

"Oh, don't believe me? Well then, why don't you step forward, Ryder."

And forward he stepped.

"It's true, pups. I never needed you, and I finally have a chance to get rid of you."

The Paw Patrol was strong. They were loyal and practically unbreakable. But there was one thing that could break the heart of any dog, and that was their owner saying they didn't want them.

When Ryder said that, it reached deep down inside of every pup and destroyed their souls. They all sank down, became nothing.

But eventually another emotion emerged. Chase felt it first. An anger unlike any other, swelling up inside of him. As the pups were pulled away, Chase growled, bit, kicked, yelled, and even though it was strictly forbidden, he screamed every curse word he knew.

Ryder had abandoned the Paw Patrol. And there was nothing they could do about it.


	14. Chapter 14

**After reflecting on Chapter 13 a bit, I've realized that I've created a plot hole. Marshall was featured prominently last chapter, yet he was just in the hospital in Chapter 10. So we'll just say that Marshall was given a clean bill of health somewhere in between Chapters 10 and 13 (a span of about three days), meaning he is fully healed.**

(Ryder's POV, earlier that day)

At first, when Ryder woke up (after the machine had done its purpose), he didn't feel any different than when he blacked out earlier. However, when he tried to move, he found he couldn't.

A few minutes later, Jim entered the room. "Hello, Ryder."

There wasn't any rope around his mouth, yet, when Ryder tried to speak, his lips wouldn't move.

"You shouldn't be needing these anymore." Jim said as he cut Ryder's ropes.

"I know how you're feeling right now. I've gone through this, too. Powerless in your own body."

_Powerless in my own body?! _Ryder thought.

"You do know what's happened, right? Well, if you don't, I'll tell you. You've been… hypnotized, I guess you could call it. The term isn't an exact fit, but for an untrained mind, it gets the message across. As you've probably figured out by now, you can't move your body at all. Yet your brain still works fine. That machine just disconnected your brain from your body. And do you know who now controls your body? Well, anyone of authority here at the WAWO. The only way your body can do anything is if it receives a direct order from a high ranking WAWO official. To prove it, I'll give you one. Ryder, stand up."

Ryder, or at least his body, stood up. Ryder (the mind) was both amazed and terrified.

Jim moved in close.

"You know, Ryder, it didn't have to be this way." He said, in a low tone. "You could have joined us willingly. Then you would still have some free will. But after you refused, after all that you saw, I couldn't just let you walk out. You would tell for sure. So, though it is regrettable, this is how things must be. Now follow me."

As his body followed Jim, Ryder's mind was thinking.

_Stuck in my own body. Powerless! Oh no… what if I spend the rest of my life like this? I'll go insane for sure, trapped in my mind._

Ryder's body followed Jim into a large room.

"Wait here." He said. Then, smiling, "It seems we have some visitors. I'm going to greet them."

But just before he left, he gave Ryder some orders. Ryder's mind was in other places, so he didn't really hear them.

A few minutes later, Jim came back in the room, and a few seconds after that, a group of WAWO guards walked in. They were carrying the Paw Patrol, and…

_KATIE?!, _Ryder thought, _How did she get here? How did they even find me? They shouldn't have come._

Jim rambled on for about a minute, but his last sentence Ryder had to listen to.

"Oh, don't believe me? Well then, why don't you step forward, Ryder?"

Ryder stepped forward and spoke words he never thought he could.

"It's true, pups. I never needed you, and I finally have a chance to get rid of you."

_How… could I say that?_ Ryder couldn't exactly cry in his mind, but he did something like it.

As the guards carried the Paw Patrol away, Chase verbally berated Ryder. He didn't blame him.

After they were gone, Jim turned to Ryder.

Ryder's face was rigid, with a neutral expression, but there was something very interesting on the edge of his right eye.

A tear.

(Paw Patrol POV)

The guards weren't very gentile as they threw the pups into their cages and the humans into their cells. But they were gone soon enough.

Chase had cried in front of Skye before, but he never showed emotion of a sad sort around the other pups.

But this was an extreme circumstance, and Chase wept very openly for a very long time. Of course, he wasn't the only one that did that.

Every pup was mentally destroyed, with the humans not faring much better. No one spoke for at least 5 hours.

Finally, Chase spoke, though it was barely audible.

"What… what did we do wrong?"

That was all he said. He was too exhausted to say more.

No one responded. It wasn't a question meant to be answered.

Over a day passed, but nothing happened. No one spoke. No guards came in.

Until one did. He went right to Chase and picked him up. Chase didn't protest, but Skye did.

"Hey! You! Where are you taking him? Put him down!"

The guard walked out without flinching.

"Chase…" Skye whimpered. "Why did they take him?"

(Chase's POV)

The guards brought Chase to a fairly large room. There was a machine in front of the chair that Chase was put in, but Chase didn't react. In fact, he didn't really even think. He didn't have the will.

For a split second, though, something caught his eye. It was a pup. Not one he had seen before. Black, with a shiny coat. Deep purple eyes.

But soon his mind reverted back into nothingness, completely unresponsive. It was the deepest form of depression.

A man walked in. The same one that caught Chase and Marshall trying to sneak in.

"Hello, Chase."

Chase said nothing. He barely even noticed Jim.

"Nothing to say? Well, I guess that's fine. We'll make this nice and quick."

Jim messed with the machine, and Chase blacked out.

**By the way, with this chapter, this is the 18****th**** longest Paw Patrol story on this site, based on words. Thanks to those that are still sticking with me.**


	15. Chapter 15

After the fifth try, the WAWO leader knew something was up.

"Why isn't this working?" Asked Jim.

The scientist who was working the machine tried to explain.

"For this type of hypnosis to work, the being to be hypnotized has to be focused. Not necessarily on the machine, but on something. Chase, however, is not focused on the machine. He isn't focused on you, me, or anything else. He is completely oblivious."

"I believe I know how to get him to pay attention."

Jim gave an order to one of his guards, and the guard went off.

(Paw Patrol POV)

The pups had been through a lot in the past few days. First, they lost their leader, the person they all looked up too. But when they went to get him back, he had told them he didn't want them. And now, held in an uncomfortable prison, they were worried about Chase. When people, or highly intelligent dogs, go through all of this, they need someone or something to blame. So it was no surprise, then, what happened next.

"How did we get to this position anyway?" Asked Rocky.

This comment led to a string of comments which led to the obvious answer: It all started at the fire.

The pups, however, were too emotionally strained to ask the obvious question: Who started it?

So they blamed each other instead.

The thinking went like this: If Ryder hadn't been injured in the fire, his mother wouldn't have wanted to take him away. This thinking was flawed, of course, but it was all they could come up with.

Who was with him in Mr. Porter's burning restaurant two weeks earlier? Chase. Chase wasn't there, though, so they couldn't blame him. The next best pup to blame was Marshall, even if it made little or no sense.

"It was Marshall's fault!" Accused Rocky.

"What? How could it be me? I wasn't even in there when the debris fell. I went in to save him!" Marshall responded.

"How do we know that? You could've done more. The fire should have been out by then anyway! You're the fire pup!" Rocky shot back.

"Yeah, I am the fire pup. But that doesn't make me a miracle worker! New York City's fire department couldn't have put that out in that amount of time. And where were you, anyway? What were you doing? Just standing around outside? You didn't even go in to help Ryder!"

And they continued throwing wild and senseless accusations at each other, until the conversation somehow evolved into something more.

(Rocky) "…while you were "injured" and smooching it up with Everest!"

Both Marshall and Everest gasped.

"What?! I never did anything like that! And I really was inj- wait. How would you even know that I like her that way?"

"Well, I-I kinda overheard you two talking, and-"

"So you were eavesdropping! Well, I guess I'm not above it either, because I heard you talking to her too. You were (in a mocking tone) such a perfect couple."

"Guys!" Katie yelled. "Stop it! There's no point in-"

But just then, a guard came into the room. He went up to Skye's cage, picked her up, and took her away. The pups protested, but no amount of protest could make the guard stop.

(Chase's POV)

When Chase heard the familiar screams coming down the hallway, he looked up.

"Skye? Skye!" He looked at Jim. "What are you doing to her?"

"Nothing much. Just enough to get you to look up."

But before he could flip the switch, Chase jumped out of the chair.

"Skye!"

"Chase! Over here!"

Chase jumped for the guard carrying Skye, but he was stopped by a different one.

The guard carried Chase back to the chair, strapping him down.

And while Chase screamed for Skye and at Jim, Jim flipped the switch.

* * *

When Chase woke up, he felt fine. Until he tried to move his body.

Jim gave Chase the same rundown he had given Ryder, and then instructed Chase to follow him.

They entered a large room, full of computers and high technology equipment.

"Chase, this is the WAWO command room. This is where I make my orders to the rest of the organization. It is the heart of the entire WAWO."

Jim led Chase over to another part of the room, where a small, slender, black coated dog was waiting.

"Chase, this is Shadow, my right hand pup. My most trusted associate. The model for any WAWO member."

"I'm flattered, sir." Shadow responded. But when she looked at Chase, he thought he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Then Jim brought both of them to the center of the room, which was a raised platform. The control center of the WAWO.

Waiting for them was a figure in a fully black outfit, with the WAWO seal on it.

"And this is Ryder, my new right hand human. I believe you too are already well acquainted, Chase."

And suddenly Chase understood. Ryder never meant what he said. He wasn't in control, he was confined to his mind, just as Chase was now. And Chase regretted what he had said.

_Sorry, Ryder sir. I'm sorry._

But Ryder couldn't hear Chase's thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

Jim and his associates were talking. They didn't know that they were being watched.

"The time has almost arrived, gentlemen. Now that we have Ryder and his best dog under our control, I believe our plan is ready to begin." Jim said.

"Excellent." Said a dark figure to his left.

Jim scanned the room for unwanted ears, and, finding nothing, continued.

"Shall we go over it one more time?"

The two other men nodded.

"All right. I believe we all know the basics, so I'll keep this brief. H-032 is complete, so we have the equipment necessary to pull this off. We'll use H-032 to our advantage, first using it on political leaders and important figures. Then we'll just work our way down until our ultimate goal is accomplished. The world will be reformed. It will be new. It will be perfect. It will be under our control."

"That's all very nice, Jim, but may I ask why we needed the Paw Patrol?"

"As far as we could tell, they were both the easiest yet one of the most skilled target for conversions. They aren't completely necessary, but this plan will go a whole lot smoother with agents like Ryder and Chase."

"What about the others?"

"They… aren't needed. We'll probably terminate them sometime this week."

"And what about your dog? Shadow?"

"I'm afraid the plan only includes human overlords. She's served us well, but she won't last past the reformation."

And with that, the being that was watching them ran away.

(Chase's POV)

Chase's body was patrolling the hallways, just like it was ordered. Chase's mind had all but given up.

But suddenly, a black dog rounded the corner.

_Shadow, the right hand pup. _Chase thought. _Why is she in such a hurry?_

She stopped in front of him.

"Chase, I know you can hear me. I need to tell you Jim's plan. Well, his new one. You see, I thought I knew his plan. We were going to use the H-032 to make the world a better place. We would be together for eternity, living perfect lives in a perfect world. But I just learned that that's not the case. His real plan is much more sinister. He's going to use the H-032, which is a mobile and more efficient version of the H-031, which is the machine that put you under WAWO control, to make everyone in the world his slaves. He would be the only ruler, and I… I would be dead. And so would your friends. So, I know there isn't much you can do about it right now, but I can do something about it. I just wanted you to know the situation and be ready if I succeed. Okay?"

Chase's body stared at her blankly, but Chase's mind was reeling.

"Good. Prepare yourself!"

_Prepare myself? _Chase thought. _For what?_

(Ryder POV)

Ryder's mind was silent. It helped him listen better.

And so he heard part of Jim's conversation as he entered the command room.

"…H-031 is inefficient. Though it is almost impossible, major emotional stimulation could break our hold on his body. The H-032 doesn't allow that. It eliminates the mind as it puts the body in our control. Ryder will be our first test subject."

Of course, this alarmed Ryder greatly. They were going to destroy his mind! Then his body would be stuck as a mindless slave forever. But there was nothing Ryder could do about it.

Jim approached him. "Ryder, come with me."

And Ryder's body followed him.

(Paw Patrol POV)

The pups were confined to their cages, and they had accepted the fact that they couldn't do anything about it. Rocky and Marshall were still in an ongoing argument, though.

Suddenly the door opened, interrupting nothing.

"Who are you?" Asked Zuma.

"Hey, I saw you yesterday! In that room! You were with Jim!" Skye yelled.

With this information reveled, the pups turned angry. They needed a scapegoat other than themselves.

"Guys…" Shadow said.

"Guys… HEY!"

The pups shut up.

"Let me explain the situation. First of all, I'm Shadow. Yes, I am Jim's right hand pup, but he no longer has my loyalty."

Shadow explained the full situation, also reveling that Ryder and Chase were hypnotized.

"So… Ryder didn't mean what he said." Said Rocky.

"Wait." Rubble said. "How do we know this isn't a trick? Why should we trust her?"

And then the pups' cages opened. They looked up to see Shadow at the switch.

"Can you trust me now?"

The pups just nodded.

"Then c'mon!"

The pups ran after her.

(Ryder's POV)

Ryder's body was seated in a chair, in front of the H-032. Jim was about to activate it.

"Got any last words, Ryder?" Jim asked. "Well, if you do, you can't say them aloud!" Jim laughed away as he readied the machine.

_This is it._ Ryder thought. _All of my memories, my personality, all of me will be gone, at the flip of a switch._

"We are go, sir." Said a WAWO guard.

"On my mark. Three. Two. One. And-"

The door burst open. The Paw Patrol entered the room.

"Don't do it, Jim!" Said Shadow.

"Shadow? You're helping them? Why would you do that?"

"I heard your plans. I'm not in them."

"You always were stealthy. But honestly, do you really think you can win against me? By attacking me, you're attacking the WAWO, and that never turned out well for anyone."

"It seems to be the only option."

"That's too bad. Well, if you want a fight, you've got one. Ryder, Chase, and everyone else, your primary target is the Paw Patrol. Attack!"

**I hate to do this, but I think the final battle deserves its own chapter. Which will come soon. See you then!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Quick note: Katie is with the Paw Patrol for this battle (she is the leader, after all). Ryder's mother has hung back in the prison.**

The pups were immediately overwhelmed. Dozens of WAWO guards circled around them.

"They're holding stun guns. The real ones are only for emergencies." Said Shadow.

"So?" Said Marshall. "We can't beat this many guards."

"Don't worry! I'm armed, too!"

Shadow's collar lit up and a ray of light hit a WAWO guard. He went down."

"Scatter!" Yelled Shadow as the rest of the guards shot their guns. Shadow did her best to fight them off, but there were too many.

Katie picked up a stun gun off of a fallen guard. The rest of the pups distracted other guards.

"Too bad we don't have thumbs!" Rubble said. "Then we could use guns, too!"

"I planned for this!" Said Shadow. "There's a container over there. It's filled with mind controlled stun watches."

But the pups couldn't get through the thick crowd of guards. Luckily, they were small targets.

Finally, Everest was able to get through. She grabbed as many watches as she could and brought them back to the pups.

But still, the pups were outnumbered.

On Skye's first shot, she hit a guard. But then someone else came through.

Chase also had a collar like Shadow's. Skye was too shifty for him to hit, though. He kept approaching.

Meanwhile. Ryder approached the fight. He seemed to have a much better aim than anyone else in it, as he hit Rubble on his first shot.

"My leg! I can't feel-"

The second shot knocked him out.

"Rubble!" Katie yelled. She started to move towards him.

"No, don't!" Shadow said. "He'll be fine. If we win this fight."

Katie stayed in place, until she saw Ryder approaching.

This was the stuff of nightmares for her. She had to fight her own friend.

Ryder dodged a shot from Shadow and kicked her over. Then he focused on Katie.

On the other end of the room, Chase reached Skye. Skye was trapped in a corner.

"Please, Chase! Stop it! This isn't you! I know you can break the spell! Please!"

_No! _Thought Chase. _Not Skye! STOP IT, BODY!_

With all his built up anger, Chase pushed back at his body.

And for a split second, a look of confusion entered his body's face. That split second was enough for the super speedy Skye to run past him.

Katie was backed into a corner.

She looked into Ryder's eyes. "Please, don't."

Ryder raised his arm, equipped with a stun watch.

"No, Ryder! Please!"

_Yes, please! _Ryder thought. _Don't do it!_

Just before Ryder's body shot, his arm moved to the left.

Ryder's body tried again. He just missed again. A very confused and/or angry look entered his face.

_STOP ASSAULTING KATIE!_

A WAWO guard, seeing Ryder's troubles, had come over to finish the job himself.

"Rookie." He said.

He raised his stun gun.

And then he fell over.

Katie looked over to see Ryder's arm pointed at where the guard used to be standing.

Ryder looked down. Then he looked up. And then he smiled.

"I'm in control!"

Katie just hugged him.

"No time for celebration. We need to fight."

And so they fought.

Elsewhere, Rocky was in trouble. He was surrounded by guards. No one noticed except Marshall.

And even through all the arguing and heat between them, Marshall never hesitated to jump in and save him. He was part of the team.

After the smoke had cleared, Rocky looked at Marshall. They said nothing, but the message was clear: they had made up.

And when they both saw that Everest was in trouble, Marshall was the one to go to her rescue.

Everest looked warmly at him afterwards.

"Thank you." She said.

"Uh, yeah, no problem." He replied.

Their warm gaze was interrupted by a WAWO guard. He was quickly shot down by Rocky.

Finally, the number of WAWO guards still standing was starting to decrease.

The Paw Patrol had all but won. When there were only about 15 WAWO guards (and Chase) still left, Shadow looked up at Jim.

"You've lost, Jim! Surrender now and we might show mercy!"

"Yeah!" Katie, who was also looking up, said.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Jim said. "Oh wait, you're not. Do you know how many WAWO facilities there are around the world? How many members we have in all? How many connections we have? Cut off a head, and two more grow! You can never win! Besides, this compound isn't completely out of assets, either."

As soon as he finished, Ryder grabbed Katie and shot Shadow.

"He's still under their control!" Rocky shouted.

"Did you really think he could break away that easily? You're all fools!" Jim said.

About two seconds later, Ryder was hit hard by something.

Katie looked up. Ryder was laying on the ground. Chase was on top of him.

The pups looked up at Jim. Seeing the genuine look of shock on his face, they were sure he was really free. And he was.

The rest of the guards were shot down quickly after that. Jim was surrounded.

Shadow was up by now.

"Jim, we've won. Give it up!"

He just looked at them for a few seconds. Then he started laughing. It wasn't a very sane sounding laugh.

"You think you've won? You think you've won?! You're not even close. You can never beat the WAWO. Never! You know, I have a button right here! It can blow up this facility and everyone in it! Do you-"

Chase shot him down. He landed on his button.

A robotic voice came over the intercom.

"Warning. Facility will self-destruct in two minutes."

"Oh no!" Said Skye.

"We need to run!" Said Rocky.

"No!" Zuma said. "We can't just leave all these people to die! Even Jim!"

"Shadow, can you reverse this?" Asked Katie.

"No." She replied. "Can any of you?"

"Self-destruct in one minute 45 seconds."

"Rocky?" Asked Marshall. Rocky shook his head.

"We need Ryder!" Skye said.

"But he's still under WAWO control!" The awoken Rubble said.

Katie looked down at Ryder.

She bent down.

With the pups holding him down, Katie spoke.

"Ryder, you need to break free. We all know you can do it. Channel all your emotions, push as hard as you can. We need you."

"One minute 30 seconds until self-destruct."

"Ryder? Please! Wake up! Wake up…"


	18. Chapter 18

"Self-destruction in one minute and 15 seconds."

"Come on, Ryder." Katie said.

Ryder still didn't show any change. The situation was growing more hopeless.

But then something did change. For a moment, there was a very strange expression on Ryder's face. Then his eyes softened. He stopped fighting back. He stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"Ryder?"

Ryder looked at Katie. "I think."

"Oh my gosh! I could hug you right now! But there's no time. You have to-"

"I know, Katie, I know. And I think I can stop this."

"Self-destruction in one minute." Said the computer voice over the intercom.

"You better hurry."

With that, Ryder jumped up and ran out of the room. The rest of the group followed him.

"What if he's just pretending, like last time?" Chase asked.

"Pretending or not," Katie said, "he's our only hope."

Ryder led the Paw Patrol to the WAWO command room.

"This is our only shot." He said.

He smashed open the top of a control panel. Then he went to work with the mess of wires and "computery" stuff underneath.

"Self-destruction in 30 seconds."

No one spoke. They didn't want to mess with Ryder's concentration. Running away was out of the question now, but no one would have suggested it even if it wasn't.

Ryder was using all the mechanical genius in his body. He was a mechanical magician, but sometimes magic isn't enough. Time was running out.

"Self-destruction in 15 seconds."

The computer said 15 seconds, but they felt like minutes.

"Self-destruction in ten,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,"

Ryder seemed to grow more frantic at this point. This was a complex system, but he had one last trick to try.

"Two.

One."

Everyone covered their heads, but the computer spoke one more time.

"System restarting. Self-destruct cancelled."

The group looked up.

"That was your solution? You made it restart?" Katie asked.

"It's a complicated system."

"Guys, who cares? We lived! We won!" Rocky said.

"We did! We beat the WAWO!" Said Rubble.

"Well, no." Shadow interrupted. "Not yet, anyway. But I'm tenth in command of the WAWO, and since it seems one through nine are unable to perform, I have the authority to do this."

Shadow pressed a button on a control panel.

"This is temporary WAWO commissioner (that's what the WAWO leader is called) Shadow… well, I'm a dog. I don't have a last name. But anyway, I'm issuing command 150. Repeat, command 150 is now in effect. Thank you."

"Command 150?" Katie asked.

"Straight from the WAWO Protocol Book:," Shadow explained, "Command 150 is to be used only in severe emergencies. At the issuing of this command, all WAWO facilities will shut down immediately. WAWO leadership will dissolve. Every WAWO member is terminated (not killed, just fired) but sworn to secrecy. It will effectively end the WAWO. We can also call the federal government in if you want."

And that they did. Jim and all WAWO leadership (except Shadow) were arrested. WAWO facilities worldwide were detained and cleared out. The WAWO didn't put up a fight.

The Paw Patrol assisted them before heading home about a week later. At the Lookout Katie transferred leadership back to Ryder. The team was in great spirits. But one pup was more uncertain.

Shadow and Everest sat away from the rest of the team.

"Is there something wrong, Shadow?" Everest asked.

"Well, it's just… I've been with the WAWO for years. Now that I'm not, I have no idea what I'll do or where I'll go. It's very scary."

"I understand." Everest said.

"You do?" Asked Shadow.

"Well, I'd rather not talk about it. But I do know how you feel. You know, I'm sure we could use your skills in the Paw Patrol."

"Really? You'd let me into the Paw Patrol?"

"Of course we would! You've been such a good friend to us. I'm sure Ryder would agree."

"That would be great! Uh, I mean, yeah, that'd be great."

Everest laughed. "Not the expressive type, eh? I'll go ask Ryder!"

A few minutes later Everest returned with Ryder in pursuit.

"So, Shadow, I heard you want to be part of our team." Ryder said.

"Well, I don't _really _want… I mean, it was Everest's idea anyway, but-but… yeah I want to join the Paw Patrol."

"Great!" Ryder said. "Then you're in!"

"It's that simple?" Shadow asked.

"Well, yeah. Welcome to the team, Shadow! We're happy to have you. Follow me."

Ryder led them down to the rest of the pups and told the news to the team. They loved it. Ryder loved it, too.

_Now I've got to design a new collar, think of ideas for her rig, build her a pup pack… I love new team members!_

The pups decided to have a party for their new teammate.

Sometime that night, Marshall and Everest found themselves alone outside.

"Do you think Rocky will be alright?" Everest asked.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Replied Marshall.

"Well, he likes me as much as you do."

"He'll be fine. Did you see him and Shadow earlier? Perfect match!"

"Perfect match?" Everest asked. "I don't see them as a perfect match."

"I guess we'll see. But for now, it's just you and me. Hey, that rhymes!"

Everest laughed.

At another point that night, Skye and Chase found themselves alone.

"It was scary when you were… under their control." Skye said.

"Yeah, it was. But that's behind us, isn't it? The WAWO is no more."

"Are you sure? What if there's other divisions out there, ones we couldn't find?"

"Then we'll fight them off just like we did with the last one. Don't worry about it."

They sat for a while.

"You know, most people assume that we're a serious couple. Are we? Or should we be?" Chase said.

"Well, it feels serious. It's never been official, though."

"Should we make it official?"

"That would require you to ask me on a date."

"Well then, Miss Skye, will you go on a date with me?"

"Of course I will. Where?"

"I hear there's a great party going on. It's not too far from here."

Skye smiled. "Sounds great."

So Chase and Skye went back inside, but this time, they were on a date.

The nine member Paw Patrol celebrated a little past bedtime. They had earned it.

The end.

* * *

**Final Author's Note:**

**I'll try not to make my monologue too long here. If you don't want to read it please take a moment to look at my one question/concern:**

**I want to post this story on the Paw Patrol Fanon Wiki. Does anyone know of original characters there or here by the name of Shadow? Or any character that resembles her? If there are characters like that, do you think I would get in any conflict by posting this unchanged story on the wiki? I just want to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Thanks.**

**But anyway, writing this story was a great journey, and I really appreciate all the great, positive reviews that motivated me to finish this story. **

**This story has plenty of fans, but I think I can still do better. I have a few ideas for my next story. One of them is a continuation of this one, based on Shadow's past and her new adventure with the Paw Patrol. The other is a completely new storyline that I think has great potential.**

**So, once again, thank you to all the great reviews and support. I loved writing this story.**

**Cartoon Fiction out.**


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